Va Tech

http://www.cnn.com/

I hope everyone here is ok!! This is horrible!

At least 20 people were killed in two shootings when a lone gunman opened fire on the Virginia Tech University campus in Blacksburg on Monday, police said. Police said they believe the shooter also is dead. Amie Steele, editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, said one of her reporters at one of the dormitories where the shootings took place reported "mass chaos."

I was just on the phone with one of my friends who is on campus right now...

He said its absolute mayhem...no one knows anything...

Whoa!!! That's scary! I just read this from our local paper's website..

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Update:

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Officials announced at a press conference that "at least 20" have been killed in two separate shootings at Virginia Tech this morning. The gunmen is dead. (12:31 p.m.)

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Edit- Opps sorry. I must have skipped over that in the original post. :oops:

thanks for the update daaang... at least the killing should be over for the day :(

http://www.nbc12.com/home/7044827.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070416/..._tech_shooting

By SUE LINDSEY, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago BLACKSBURG, Va. - A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing at least 30 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history, government officials told The Associated Press. The gunman was killed, bringing to death toll to 31, but it was unclear if he was shot by police or took his own life.

"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," said Virginia Tech president Charles Steger. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified."

The name of the gunman was not immediately released, and investigators offered no motive for the attack. It was not clear if the gunman was a student.

The shootings spread panic and confusion on campus, with witnesses reporting students jumping out the windows of a classroom building to escape the gunfire. SWAT team members with helmets, flak jackets and assault rifles swarmed over the campus. Students and faculty members carried out some of the wounded themselves, without waiting for ambulances to arrive.

The bloodbath took place at opposite sides of the 2,600-acre campus, beginning at about 7:15 a.m. at West Ambler Johnston, a coed dormitory that houses 895 people, and continuing at least two hours later at Norris Hall, an engineering building about a half-mile away, authorities said.

Police said they were still investigating the shooting at the dorm when they got word of gunfire at the classroom building.

After the first shots were fired, students were warned to stay indoors and away from the windows. But some students said they thought the precautions had been lifted by the time the second burst of gunfire was heard, and some bitterly questioned why the gunman was able to strike a second time, two hours after the bloodshed began.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko in Washington said there was no evidence to suggest it was a terrorist attack, "but all avenues will be explored."

people are so sick!

I just read about that on CNN

Poor people. I hope no one else dies!

This is heartbreaking and so confusing for me to try to get my mind around. Hours went by between the shootings and yet classes went on with access doors unlocked (or it seems so since this gunman moved freely across campus and into another Hall)? I just watched video from someone's cell phone and you can hear the shots ringing out. It's beyond horrifying to think what each shot means.

I cannot begin to imagine the horror of this for the students, faculty and their families. They are in my prayers.

I just got off the phone with one of my friends who has been in touch with another one of my friends at Va Tech. My phone is dead and I could not remember the number of my tech friend. But she is safe and waiting for word on one of her friends who was in one of the buildings that the shooting occured in.

My heart goes out to the friends and families of the victims.

When something like this happens it's so surreal. I can't imagine how many lives were shattered. It reaches far beyond the families of the deceased and far beyond Virgina Tech and the state of Virginia. For me it will be a while before the reality of what happened sinks in. I feel like I've already seen too much violence in my relatively short life to take in any more.

Even though I do not personally know any of the victims I still feel a great loss. I think about all those students and possibly staff who in an instant, are no longer here, it tears me apart. These people still had thier whole lives ahead of them, and because of one stupid gunman, thier dreams and thier lives were crushed.

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Even though I do not personally know any of the victims I still feel a great loss. I think about all those students and possibly staff who in an instant, are no longer here, it tears me apart. These people still had thier whole lives ahead of them, and because of one stupid gunman, thier dreams and thier lives were crushed.

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Maybe that's why I'm having a hard time comprehending what happened. I'm a college junior. I have one year left until I graduate. I'll be starting med school in 2011. I have a loving family and lots of great friends. My whole life is ahead of me. Their lives and futures were taken in an instant. It could just as easily have been me and my classmates. In that sense, this hit very close to home.

Yeah, I saw this earlier today. Very sad news. :(
My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

I wonder who this guy(the shooter) was? Nothing has been said, but I do wonder.

The death toll is up to 33. How horrible!! It's hard to understand what drives people! So sad!:(

Someone on the news was saying that most deaths occured in one classroom. So terribly sad. It seems so dangerous to even attend schools. No one will probably know what drove him to it. In cases like this your heart should go out to all the families, the shooters family included. Heaven knows what hell and guilt they will be living thru.This will be a hard time to get thru for all involved.:(

Up to 33 dead now including the gunman.

please keep the daughter of one of my mom's friends in your thoughts and prayers. she was shot in one of the shootings earlier today and is in critical condition. she is in surgery now but it is not known whether she will pull through.

while i am so thankful that no one i know personally was involved (i grew up in virginia and many of my friends attended va tech) i cannot imagine what those who are involved are going through right now. i can only hope that something is learned from this that prevents anything similar from happening in the future.

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Originally Posted by mlededee

please keep the daughter of one of my mom's friends in your thoughts and prayers. she was shot in one of the shootings earlier today and is in critical condition. she is in surgery now but it is not known whether she will pull through.

while i am so thankful that no one i know personally was involved (i grew up in virginia and many of my friends attended va tech) i cannot imagine what those who are involved are going through right now. i can only hope that something is learned from this that prevents anything similar from happening in the future.

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So sorry to hear about this......i hope she pulls through! this is ridiculous!

I will keep all that were involved and their familys in my prayers. This has really started to bother me. I have seen many family after one has passed away and even some after their love ones were just shot and it is so terrifying for all of them. Again, everyone involved will be in my prayers.

I got word from my UVA Wise friend last night that the friend my Tech friend was waiting word on passed away. She was shot and didn't make it. Last night my fiance and I just held each other and cried. My fiance is about to start college next semester and is scared to death, especially since Tech is only a 3-4 hour drive from here. It's hit very close to home. None of our friends were injured, but friends of our friends were, and it feels just as bad.

Those affected by this are in my heart and in my thoughts. I think what everyone needs right now is a hug. :grouphug:

I am a junior at Virginia Tech, and yesterday was quite possibly the worst day of my life. I was not on campus when this happened, but unfortunately I had friends of friends that didn't make it out. Thanks for everyone's replies and thoughts, it means a lot at a time like this.

I just heard about this as we were waiting at the airport on the way home... I cannot imagine what drives a person to do something like this, I just cannot wrap my mind around it... which is probably a good thing. My thoughts and prayers are definitely with those who's lives have been effected by this tragedy (who, Fred Phelps is already promising to harrass, someone seriously needs to hogtie and gag that sadist).

:grouphug::tears::grouphug:

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Originally Posted by Sausage

Yeah, I saw this earlier today. Very sad news. :(
My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

I wonder who this guy(the shooter) was? Nothing has been said, but I do wonder.

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they released his name and some info. Last night on CNN they interviewed his room mates and some old teachers and he was EXTREMELY troubled. His essays were filled with stories of murder and anger. A teacher claimed she tutored him one on one to keep him from other students and reported his behavior to numerous people.